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Fiona Maddocks's rating
Tales of love and loss in Les Contes d’Hoffmann
By
Fiona Maddocks
26 Nov 2008
Last time Offenbach’s Les Contes d’Hoffmann was revived by the Royal Opera, in 2004, the conductor was Richard Hickox, who died earlier this week. Last night’s performance was dedicated to him.
This may explain the subdued mood of the Prologue, admittedly a protracted affair at best. But collective spirits usually lift, as they did here, with a lusty drinking chorus and all falls into place.
The dissolute poet Hoffmann (Rolando Villazon) offers to relate tales of his fabulously disastrous love life: with Olympia the mechanical doll, then Giulietta, a courtesan and finally with the angel-voiced Antonia, who dies singing. So although this is a strange, episodic work, its real appeal lies in Offenbach’s fertile melodies (notably the Barcarolle) and in the vocal possibilities for a large cast and chorus, richly grasped by all, and warmly conducted by Antonio Pappano.
Gidon Saks snarled villainously and Graham Clark’s shuffling, mincing Cochenille was pure joy. Villazon, who caused a small riot in the title role four years ago, returned as the poet, his interpretation more thoughtful, his dark-hued sound more intelligent. This Mexican tenor grows ever more interesting, and it’s hard not to make comparisons with his fellow countryman Domingo.
In the past the likes of Joan Sutherland and Anja Silja sang all three main female roles, negotiating high coloratura down to lowish mezzo.
This sort of vocal triathlon has gone out of fashion, no bad thing since lesser mortals merely wreck their voices.
Ekaterina Lekhina, stiff and skittish as Olympia, grew ever more secure in her diamond-like coloratura. Christine Rice oozed fruity charm as Giulietta and Katie Van Kooten had light-voiced fragility as Antonia. John Schlesinger’s lavish 1980 staging feels magnificently antique, a quaint nod back at a time of plenty.
Until 13 December (020 7304 4000).
Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.
Reader views (3)
Dear Graham Paul Eskell: For over ten years now we've been living on a croft in the mountains, studio going full, Lene cooking her specialties, always thinking of you and the old times in Mapledurham Village. Have mooved ard. a lot, that's how we lost track of each other. Having misplaced your letter with one of your new addresses, we by chance found it the other day 29 years later, packed away in a box that had been left unopened since 1980. Great to see your reviews, Merry (Snowy) Christmas & a Happy New Year! Hope to hear from you soon. Patrick & Lene.
- Patrick Thomas Geraghty, Socorro-SP-Brazil - zip 13960-970 - PO Box 126, 22/12/2009 23:22
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Les Contes is neither the most effectively structured nor musically coherent of operas. Despite the Prologue/Epilogue framing the linked Acts, the musical content never finds the unity with plot and action that can make Verdi, Puccini and Wagner so overwhelming. The piece oscillates quite comfortably between operetta and grand opera, demonstrating a lightness of touch that many other composers might envy. The darkness that lies beneath Hoffmann's passion is harder to convey.
Rolando Villazon is truly a force of nature, singing and acting with immense passion and commitment but never failing to deliver the widest range of emotions. It would be hard to imagine a finer or more thrilling interpretation. And how extraordinarily like Domingo he sounds these days. I don't think I have heard anything quite like Ekaterina Lekhina's stratospheric pyrotechnics as Olympia; simply jaw-dropping. Gidon Saks was also impressive, if a bit gruff, in his various incarnations (Lindorf, Coppelius, Dappertuotto & Miracle). Graham Clark was a start turn in his many parts and a hoot as Crespel's servant, Frantz, although Act 3 did not really penetrate pantomime elements to release the deepest emotions. Robin Leggate, excellent as Spalanzani, shows how to preserve a voice over a long career.
This lavish production, with superb sets and costumes, was a wicked pleasure. Antonio Pappano drew a superbly nuanced, yet richly sonorous performance from the ROH orchestra and chorus.
- Graham Eskell, Colchester, England, 30/11/2008 19:56
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Not a great opera perhaps but the best effort possible from a strong cast. Olympia was a joy with sight gags and even good acting! Villazon leapt about as a young drunk poet should-actually jumping around-and the whole cast seemed to enjoy the night. The sets were over-complicated but the costumes, particularly in act 1, were spot on. Loved the various glasses! And in a credit crunch what could be better than gondolas gliding past in rich looking dry ice? Crisis? What crisis?
Maybe the only real criticism was a lack of emotion in the Antonia act. Expertly sung but no sadness when she croaked her last. But a treat not to be missed when taken in the round. Well done ROH.
- Duncan, London, 26/11/2008 12:40
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